LOTR: TTT Extended Ed. DVD Details...

[cabbageboy 0]

Well, at the least I'd figure Sauron has to have a cameo when the ring is destroyed and he vaporizes or blows up. Something like that, but who knows.

 

As far as other changes, the Saruman change is something that basically had to be done...without Saruman there is essentially no main heel for most of the films. As far as the Hobbits as a whole the EE of FOTR does a great job introducing them. Frodo, Bilbo, and Sam are well introduced but even in the EE I found Merry and Pippen's first few scenes a bit confusing (I since know they are Frodo's relatives but this isn't made all that clear).

[Kahran Ramsus 0]

Well, at the least I'd figure Sauron has to have a cameo when the ring is destroyed and he vaporizes or blows up. Something like that, but who knows.

 

As far as other changes, the Saruman change is something that basically had to be done...without Saruman there is essentially no main heel for most of the films. As far as the Hobbits as a whole the EE of FOTR does a great job introducing them. Frodo, Bilbo, and Sam are well introduced but even in the EE I found Merry and Pippen's first few scenes a bit confusing (I since know they are Frodo's relatives but this isn't made all that clear).

Pippin mentions it at Bree, but you are right about Merry.

 

Saruman actually wasn't changed too much. We get to see stuff that he's doing, that's only mentioned in the book, which is necessary given the different medium. He gets more screen-time, but he really isn't much more important. Two Towers, in particular, is simply unfilmable unless some reordering is done. The movies tend to follow the actual timeline, which is best for the films. The way Tolkien did (the first half is all about the Aragorn & Company, the second half about Frodo & Sam) makes for easier reading, but would be terrible on screen.

[Kahran Ramsus 0]

Ok. I just checked up on this, and Sauron DOES appear in a human-like form in the books, although you never actually see him. Both Gandalf and Gollum talk about it. It makes sense. How else could he put on the Ring?

[cabbageboy 0]

Ah ha. Well if Sauron actually is in a human form in the book then it stands to reason he's going to have to be in a few scenes of the movie. Especially since characters talk about him being around....if Sauron isn't shown the viewer will think "WTF??"

 

The intriguing aspect is this: Would Sauron be the ultra bad ass in armor like we saw in FOTR's prologue? Or would he be a scrawny little guy? He would have just achieved human form and might not be all that strong yet. No ring either.

 

You know Peter Jackson is frustrated as hell over stuff like this.

[Guest El Satanico]

Well Jackson shouldn't be frustrated over it. If Sauron is never actually seen in the book, there's no reason for Jackson to think about how to handle his appearance in the movie. Movie goers who need to see a physical form to grasp the concept of a villian be damned.

[Kahran Ramsus 0]

Ah ha. Well if Sauron actually is in a human form in the book then it stands to reason he's going to have to be in a few scenes of the movie. Especially since characters talk about him being around....if Sauron isn't shown the viewer will think "WTF??"

 

The intriguing aspect is this: Would Sauron be the ultra bad ass in armor like we saw in FOTR's prologue? Or would he be a scrawny little guy? He would have just achieved human form and might not be all that strong yet. No ring either.

 

You know Peter Jackson is frustrated as hell over stuff like this.

I assume he would be like in the prologue, but his current form is never really described in great detail. Gollum does say that he only has four fingers though.

 

 

The Encyclopedia of Arda is the best Tolkien reference site that I've seen.

[Kaertos 0]

He appears in a human seeming form only before the ring is cut from his finger. In the books, his body was destroyed then as I remember. No... wait... his body was destroyed before that when he talked the Numenorians into attacking the Valar and they sank Numenor...

[cabbageboy 0]

Well, I'm not saying Sauron needs to be featured throughout the movie. He doesn't need to fight people or anything like that. But he does need to be there. I'm just talking about maybe 5 minutes of screen time. When someone talks about Sauron's physical form, just do a quick cut to his tower and show him for a few seconds, show the 4 fingers, that sort of thing. Then near the end in the final battle have him present so we can all see him vaporize/explode when the ring is destroyed.